Dr. Olivia Pethtel

Education

Ph.D., Bowling Green University

M.A., Bowling Green University

B.A., University of South Carolina

Biography

Dr. Olivia Pethtel joins Saint Francis University with 3 years of university-level teaching experience. She has taught Introductory Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Methods in Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Adult Development and Aging, Adolescent Psychology, and Psychology of Women and Gender at Bowling Green State University, Youngstown State University, and Saint Francis University. In 2007 she received her B.A. in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina, in 2009 she received her M.A. in Developmental Psychology at Bowling Green State University, and in 2012 she received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Bowling Green State University.

Dr. Pethtel’s research focuses on aging in relation to well-being, decision-making, socioemotional development, and cultural influences. Her thesis research examined the well-being of younger and older adults in the United States and China. This study was published in the journal Psychology and Aging. Her preliminary research examined choice deferrals in younger and older adults and was published in Educational Gerontology. Her dissertation research, which is currently in review for publication, examined decision-making competence, life regrets, and well-being in mature adults. She has also presented her research at professional conferences for the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America. She plans to continue conducting research in relation to aging and well-being at Saint Francis and looks forward to involving undergraduate students in her research as well as working with them on their own research projects.